Sweden elections: The far-right could get seats in Parliament

Stockholm
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Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt could be the winner in today’s parliamentary elections, while his center-right coalition may fail to get an absolute majority and the extreme-right may obtain enough votes to enter Parliament.

Recent polls suggest that the Sweden Democrats led by Jimmie Åkesson would win between six and eight percent of the vote breaking for the first time the four-percent threshold required to win seats in Parliament (Sveriges Riksdag).

The Sweden Democrats got support in the election campaign with its demands for a stricter immigration policy, in tune with what is happening with other center-right governments in Europe such as France and Italy.

Prime Minister Reinfeldt, 45, leader of a four-party coalition, the Moderates, Christian Democrats, Liberals and the Center Party is expected to reach 49 percent of the vote. Mona Sahlin, 53, the opposition leader, and her center-left Red-Green bloc led by the Social Democrats, who have joined up with the ex-communist Left Party and environmentalist Green Party, would get about 43 percent of preferences.

Mona Salhin, leader of the Red-Green Bloc could become the first woman to be elected Prime MInister of Sweden.

Bengt Nyman

The most important factors in the re-election of the current government are a successful fiscal policy and a strong balance sheet. The government Alliance have campaigned on promises of tax relief programs and the fight against youth unemployment while the Red-Green bloc proposes greater investment in schools, health care facilities and care for the elderly funded by increased taxes on high wage earners. Both major Swedish political blocs, however, are threatened by the rise of the Sweden Democrats, a party considered by many as "populist and xenophobic".

If neither of the two main political blocs obtains a majority of the seats, and the extreme right enters parliament, the Sweden Democrats could be in the position of establishing a partnership with the elected government or become an arbitrator.

Jimmie Åkesson, who has managed to strip his party of its emblems and neo-Nazi slogans has declared: "We are prepared to negotiate with all the parties."

Both Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and opposition leader Mona Sahlin had said they will not cooperate with the far right, anti-Muslim, anti-immigration party.

Sweden Democrat party secretary Björn Söder when asked if he thought an Islamic revolution was possible in Sweden stated:“Yes, Sweden is being Islamified right now. We’ve taken up countless examples of how Sweden is adapting to Muslim demands and we’re seeing how mosques are popping up like mushrooms from the ground in Sweden and all over Europe. It’s not necessarily the case that we’ll all become Muslims, but that we will have to obey Sharia,”

The Swedish parliament building in Stockholm.

A. Ribbefjord

The total number of voters is about seven million, but election participation is expected to be close to 80 percent. Parallel to the 349 legislative seats, the country will also elect regional and municipal representatives.